A Mother's Perpective
by PimpMasta Popo
Summary: Videl's pregnant. She goes to her motherinlaw for advice, and gets a new perspective. [GxV]


Disclaimer - I don't own Dragonball Z  
  
AN: Maybe it's just my opinion, but I think the women of DBZ/GT are very under-rated. Like ya know, Videl and Chichi mostly. So here's a tribute, kinda..  
  
actually, it's kinda a G/V story.. i sure don't do that much...  
  
A Mother's Perspective  
  
By: PimpMasta Popo  
  
  
  
Videl nervously put the phone back on the reciver. Gohan walked up behind her.   
  
"Who was that?" he asked, a book open in his left hand and a glass of milk in the other.  
  
"Your mother."  
  
"What did she want?"  
  
"She invited us to dinner tonight."  
  
Gohan looked at his wife. "What?" he questioned, watching her breathe heavily. "You liked my family I thought. I mean Dad's a little eccentic and Mom can be overbearing and don't even get me started on Goten-"  
  
"I like your family a lot." Videl cut him off, running a hand through her hair.  
  
"So... what? What's up?"  
  
"They don't know about..." Videl swallowed and gave Gohan a look and then looked to her stomach. "Well, that." she pointed to her stomach.  
  
Gohan raised his eyebrows. "My Dad probably won't pick up on it, but my Mom... well she's done it before." Gohan set down the book and milk. "I mean she had me and Goten."  
  
Videl glared at him. "Yeah I think she know how the process works, thanks. I just... don't know if they'd be ok with... us having a baby." Videl said the words quietly, as if they were as fragile as the child itself.  
  
Gohan smiled. "Videl, sweetie, if anything they'll be really happy." Gohan picked up the book again and started to walk away.   
  
Videl shook her head. "I don't know." she whispered.  
  
~~~~Flashback~~~~  
  
"Dad?" a 7 year old Videl tugged on her father's robe. Mr. Satan looked at his only daughter and smiled.   
  
"What is it Videl?"  
  
Videl looked at her shoes. "What was mommy like?"  
  
Mr. Satan dropped the five pound weight he was holding. It made an indentation on the concrete floor. "Wha- what?"  
  
Videl looked into her father's eyes, her own filled with curiosity and innocence.   
  
"You mother," Mr. Satan started, not quite knowing how to tell the story. "She got really sick... you were only two. I mean she, well Videl, she was very sweet. She could get you to do anything with those eyes of hers. You got her eyes." Mr. Satan winked at his daughter. Videl smiled and blushed. She rested her head on a bench.   
  
"What else?"  
  
"She loved to cook. She wasn't very good at it, but she was OK. She had always hoped I would make my dream come true. She always pushed me. Remeber Videl, behind every strong man, there's a stronger woman."  
  
Videl watche her father's eyes mist over. "Did she like me?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Videl, she loved you more than anything." Mr. Satan replied  
  
~~~~ End Flashback ~~~~  
  
Smoke was billowing from the Son chimney. Gohan smiled. He could already smell his favorite food cooking. No one cooked as well as his mother. He smiled at Videl. She had changed into three outfits before she had been ready to leave the house. Gohan didn't understand. She had met his parents and brother many times before. Hundreds of times. His mother loved her, his father loved her, his brother... teased her which meant he liked her too. Videl smiled back.   
  
"Hey mom!" Gohan called, opening the door.   
  
"Hey sweetheart," came a voice from the kitchen. Gohan and Videl made their way into the small house and into the kitchen where Chichi was cutting vegetables and putting them into a pot. Gohan came up behind her and kissed her on the cheek.   
  
Chichi smiled and turned around. "Hello Gohan." she looked at Videl. "Aren't you going to come in, Videl?"  
  
Videl nodded and walked into the kitchen. Chichi gave her son a questioning look. Gohan shrugged.   
  
"Gohan why don't you go get your father and brother. They're out in the woods somewhere." Chichi said, putting plates around the table.   
  
Gohan nodded. "Sure Mom." he gave Videl a chaste kiss and then flew out the door. Videl stood there awarkdly in the kitchen. Chichi noticed this and gave Videl a smile.   
  
"Videl are... you alright?"  
  
"Yes." Videl said rushingly. Chichi turned the burners off and put the food on the table.   
  
"You're sure?"   
  
"Yeah."  
  
Chichi shrugged. "Ok." Chichi preped the table with food and silverware. She made sure all heat was turned off (like a good mother, lol).  
  
"I'mhavingababy." Videl said quickly. She ran to the sink and got a glass of water and downed it. She hung her head and looked at Chichi.  
  
Chichi stared at her.   
  
"I'm sorry-"  
  
"SORRY?"  
  
"Yeah, look, I rel-"  
  
"You're SORRY?"  
  
Videl hung her head. Chichi ran up and hugged her. "Dear Kami, Videl. Why are you SORRY?"  
  
"Can't breathe" Videl choked out.  
  
Chichi loosened her grip and wiped tears from her eyes. "Oh my... you're going to have a baby. I'm going to be a grandmother!"  
  
Videl smiled nervously. "So... you're OK with this?"  
  
"OK??? OK???? Videl, this is the best news I've heard since... since... since..." Chichi scratched her head. "Well since Goten got a really good grade on this one really hard test, but that's besides the point!" Chichi hugged Videl again.   
  
"I'm glad you're happy." Videl said with a sigh of relief.  
  
At that moment, Gohan, Goten and Goku walked in. "Aw man Chichi, am I hungry!" Goku stated, sitting down at the table.  
  
Videl put a finger to her lips to Chichi. She nodded. Videl smiled and winked at Gohan. Gohan smiled at her.   
  
"So you're not nervous anymore?" he whispered. Videl happily shook her head.  
  
"Hey save the kissy face for your house." Goten cut in, scooping himself some rice.  
  
Gohan smacked his brother and sat down. Goten glared at him and raised his hand and hit Gohan back. Gohan glared at his brother. Both of them were stopped by an "Ahem" and a glare from their mother. They hung their heads. Videl snickered.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
After a wonderful dinner (of course) the Son Family... including Videl sat and talked. Chichi stood in the kitchen and cleaned up dinner. This didn't go unoticed by Videl. Videl watched her mother-in-law very carefully. She seemed happy and content just standing in the kitchen, listening to the conversation and everyso often putting her 2 cents in.  
  
Finally it got late and Videl and Gohan had to leave.   
  
Videl closed her car door and watched as Gohan got in, a smile on his face.  
  
"So it went well?" he asked.  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"With my mother. She took the news well?"  
  
"Yeah, she did. She was really happy."  
  
Gohan smiled. "I thought so. I knew you had nothing to worry about."  
  
Videl nodded.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Videl sat on their bed as Gohan put on a nightshirt. He noticed that Videl had a faraway look in her eyes.  
  
"Videl? Hon? What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing." Videl said absentmindedly.  
  
Gohan shook his head. "I know better than that. Really, what is it?"  
  
Videl closed her eyes. "Do you love your mother?"  
  
Gohan was shocked. "What?"  
  
"Do you love her?"  
  
"Of course I do."  
  
"Then why do you make her do all this work? I mean... she does all this stuff for you and you don't even appreciate it!" Videl snapped, glaring at Gohan.  
  
Gohan was taken aback.  
  
"I appreciate it." Gohan said trying to defend himself.  
  
"Every time I go over there, I can find a way she's being... well, underappreciated. Gohan, you totally take advantage of her!"  
  
"No I don't." Gohan said forcefully. "My mother does that becasue she wants to."  
  
"Without thanks! She does everything for you and your brother and your father."  
  
Videl had angry tears in her eyes, which surprised her husband. "And don't even get me started on your father."  
  
Gohan flinched. She had a hit a nerve. "You don't know what it's like to have a father like mine! My father has saved the earth more times than I can count." Gohan shouted, eyes narrowing.  
  
"Oh, so that omits him from ever helping out your mother??" Videl countered.  
  
Gohan glared at Videl. His silence was all the answer she needed.  
  
"Your father may be one hell of a superhero, but he sucks as a husband."  
  
"How dare you-" Gohan barked.  
  
"No, I'm not going to sit here while you defend a man who has time for everyone else but his family." Videl snapped.  
  
"He has time for his family. My dad loves his family-"  
  
"So he dies and decides not to come back?"  
  
"I didn't make that decision for him!" Gohan protested. "All I can say, is he did what he thought was good for our family."  
  
Videl got up from the bed. "So is that the kind of family we'll have?" she asked, facing the window in their bedroom. "I'll cook and clean and be subservient and you'll go off and save the world and die and leave me and your child alone in the world?"  
  
"When you say it like that, it sounds so bad. Videl, my father is a great person. If you're going to put him down, I don't want to hear it."  
  
"Fine. You won't have to. I'm going out for a walk."  
  
"Videl-" he was cut off as the door slammed.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Videl smiled a bit as she came up on the Son House. She saw smoke coming from the shimney. She smiled, she was sure Chichi was cooking somthing. Even at 10:00 at night.  
  
She opened the door, and walked in. This action wasn't heard by the two people in the kitchen, Chichi and Goten.  
  
"Embrace" Chichi said. Videl looked oddly at Goten.   
  
"E-m-b-r-a-c-e" Goten spelled. Chichi smiled.  
  
"That's right. That's all the words on the sheet, sweetie. I think you're ready."  
  
Goten smiled and thanked his mom then made his way to his bedroom.  
  
"Hey Videl." Goten waved as he passed her. She smiled. Chichi looked up. "Videl, what are you doing here? Did you forget somthing?" Chichi asked, drying her hands with a towel.  
  
"This is kinda weird. But um.. Gohan and I got into a fight... kinda," Videl stammered, earning an eyebrow raise from Chichi. Chichi sat down at the kithcen table and motioned for Videl to sit too.  
  
Videl sat down and folded her hands in her lap.  
  
"What was it about?" Chichi asked.  
  
"Well.... you." Videl whispered. Chichi was surpirsed again.   
  
"What about me?"  
  
"I think you're very underappricated." and Videl continued to tell Chichi what she and Gohan had fought about.  
  
Chichi was very silent and listened to every word Videl said.  
  
"So I told him he didn't have to listen to it, I was going for a walk." Videl sipped the coffee that Chichi had put infront of her during some point in the time she was telling the story. Videl studied the silent Chichi. "That's about it."  
  
"Are you worried about having this baby?" Chichi asked Videl. Videl looked down at her coffee.   
  
"I didn't have a mother to model myself after. I don't know how to raise a child." Tears welled in Videl's eyes. "I don't know what I'm doing."  
  
"None of us do." Chichi assured her.  
  
"Easy for you to say, you've had two children." Videl said, and immediatly thought that had come out the wrong way. Chichi just smiled.  
  
"I didn't know what I was doing. And to top it off, I was young and had a husband that knew even less than me about children and raising them." Chichi said with a laugh.  
  
"But you had someone there to coach you. What about your mother?"  
  
Chichi's smiled faded quickly. "I didn't have a mother to coach me through anything. She left when I was young."  
  
Videl's eyes were wide. "She left?" Chichi nodded solemnly. "Do you remember her?" Videl asked.  
  
Chichi took a sip of her coffee. "Yes. She wasn't much of an example, though. She and my father constantly fought, That's all I remember of her."  
  
Videl ran a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry to bring it up. I didn't know."  
  
Chichi dissmissed the apology with a wave of her hand. "It's fine. You didn't know."  
  
Their conversation died as they both didn't know what to say.   
  
"What do you think of me?" Chichi asked suddenly.  
  
Videl looked up, surpirsed. "What?"  
  
Chichi stood up and made herself busy, putting away clean dishes. She dried off a plate and looked at Videl again. "What do you really think of me?"  
  
"I'd rather not tell you with a knife in your hand." Videl joked. Chichi smiled and put the knives and other silverware away.  
  
  
  
"How about you just tell me?"  
  
Videl thought for a mintue, gathering her words. "I think... I think... that life didn't quite work out the way you wanted it to. I think you wanted a normal life. A normal husband, normal children. I think nothing really worked out the way you wanted it to." Videl said, thinking she was little bold. Oddly enough Chichi responded with a saddened,  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
Their conversation died again. "So is this really so bad?"  
  
Chichi's eyes lit up a little. "You know what I would change if I could?" Chichi asked, not quite answering Videl's question.  
  
"What?"  
  
Chichi looked at her and smiled. "Nothing."   
  
"I think every so often that I let my son down though." Chichi bit her lip.  
  
Videl was confused. "Why?"  
  
"I made Gohan study. I was pretty bad about it too."  
  
"I think you did the right thing." Videl persisted. "There's not always going to be an evil guy to defeat. You gave him an option of having a normal life. You gave him another path to follow if he wanted to."  
  
Chichi smiled.  
  
"Do they ever get mad at you? You know... for making them do somthing? " Videl asked.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Then what makes you keep being a mother?"  
  
"It's my job."  
  
"No, a job pays money." Videl protested.  
  
Chichi nodded. "True. But I love doing this. I love being a mother."  
  
"Is it worth all the pain?" Videl asked, biting her lip, as if afraid to hear the answer.  
  
Chichi sat down at the table again and took Videl's hands in hers. "Everything is right with the world when you first hear a child say 'I love you'. Anything that you think is wrong just.. evaporates when your own child tell you that they love you." Chichi smiled and let go of Videl's hands. "Everything falls into place. And right there, you realize... this is perfect. And you wouldn't have it any other way."  
  
Videl nodded. "Do you think I can do this?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Be a mother?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"If you care as much for your child as much as you care for Gohan," that made Videl blush, "then, Videl, you will be a great mother."  
  
Chichi smiled warmly.   
  
Videl fought back tears. "Promise?"  
  
"Promise."  
  
They both heard a soft knock at the kitchen wall. Gohan had walked in.   
  
"Hey," he said softly. Chichi smiled and gave Videl's hands a squeeze of reassurance, then she got up. "I think I'm going to bed. Lock up, would you, Gohan?" Chichi asked as Gohan said his goodnight and kissed her on the cheek. "Man, it's been a long time since I said that...." she said, rubbing her head.   
  
Gohan silently watched Videl sit in the chair. "I figured you'd come here."  
  
"What made you think that?"  
  
"My mother. I figured, you'd want to talk to her. She's a good listener. She gives good advice."  
  
Videl smiled. "Yeah."  
  
Gohan sat across from her. "Was this really about how I treat my mother?"  
  
Videl pouted. "Not all of it... but some of it yeah."  
  
"Videl, I love my mother very much. So what's the other part?"  
  
"... I'm scared."  
  
"Of what?"  
  
"Being a mother." Videl said, hiding her eyes from her husband.  
  
"Why are you scared? Videl, you're going to be a great mother!"  
  
"What makes you so sure?"  
  
"Because I know you." Gohan said, locking eyes with her again. Gohan stood up and offered her his hand. She took it and looked into his eyes.  
  
"I love you so much." Videl said, hugging him.  
  
"That's I know. You're so loving. You'll love this baby so much. And you'll be the best mother."  
  
"Promise?"  
  
"Promise." Gohan said capturing her lips in a soft kiss. He took her hand and started to walk out the door.  
  
"Good night Mom," he called.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
there it is ladies and gents. i hope you liked it!  
  
pllllllllllleaase review!!  
  
to quote one of my favorite authors,  
  
I am a shameless feedback slut  
  
aka... please tell me what you thought!!  
  
Keep on Pimpin,  
  
PimpMasta Popo 


End file.
